Lost: "Something Nice Back Home" Review

Jack faces his worst enemy yet - his appendix.

Jack's absence as a major presence this season hasn't gone unnoticed. Matthew Fox is one of the faces generally associated with the show in advertising and media but this season he seems to have been relegated to playing second fiddle. This is a real testament to the show's ability to juggle an impressive ensemble cast without having the series as a whole suffer. The time and care put into the development of every character is unparalleled and underappreciated at times. However, this wouldn't be Lost if there wasn't at least one episode that focused on the beach group's fearless leader. Oddly enough, even in his own episode, Jack really isn't given much to do.

Last week, Jack appeared to be suddenly struck with an illness of unknown origin. This week, we quickly learn that Jack has appendicitis and Juliet decides to quickly operate in order to save him. This story is rather mundane by Lost standards and is about as exciting as your average medical drama. However, it does plenty to develop the relationship between Jack, Kate and Juliet that has been festering since the midway point of last season. Their love triangle has never made for a compelling storyline and it was nice to see it sort of resolved here as Juliet decides to step aside and allow Jack and Kate's relationship to grow. Kate holding the mirror during Jack's operation stands out as a particular moving scene that does an exceptional job of showing the connection between the two.

The possible rekindling of Jack and Kate's romantic relationship on the island is juxtaposed quite well with their relationship during the flash-forward. Previously we had learned that Jack wanted nothing to do with Kate raising Aaron as her own child but now it seems that he has given in to his feelings. It was strange seeing Kate and Jack living together in domestic bliss, and to be honest, they aren't that comfortable with it either. It's like Jack and Kate are playing the parts of a happy domesticated couple but at the end of the day they don't exist in the same world as everyone else around them. As this season moves along, we are getting a clearer picture of how events culminate towards the startling conclusion of last season. Jack even appears to be growing his beard. Although this flash-forward wasn't all that exciting, it does perpetuate the message that as much as the Oceanic Six want to leave events on the island in the past, they'll never be able to do so.

One of the more unexpected scenes takes place between Jin and Charlotte. Apparently, Charlotte knows Korean. We'd definitely like to know why she's so keen on hiding it but Jin was far more concerned with getting her to agree to help Sun get off the island. It's a wise decision considering the situation.

Much like Jin, Sawyer has gone through a noticeable metamorphosis over the course of the series. He's still rough around the edges, but definitely a far cry from the Sawyer of even a season ago that could care less about the rest of the Oceanic survivors. He works well as Claire's overreacting big brother and his "restraining order" to Miles was pretty funny. Miles' power to "hear" the dead manifests itself again in a chilling scene that has him finding the bodies of both Rousseau and Karl. The final moments leave much to speculate about over the coming week but we suspect that Claire won't be seen again until the finale.